


Sinner's Cave

by 5_Stirling_Heartstrings



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Blow Jobs, Dragon Dilf, F/M, I'm Going to Hell, My First Smut, Partial Draconic Transformation, Porn with Feelings, Sex In A Cave, Shameless Smut, Slow Burn, Swearing, dragon daddy, slow burn smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-24
Updated: 2020-01-19
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:54:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21548683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/5_Stirling_Heartstrings/pseuds/5_Stirling_Heartstrings
Summary: Byleth had always harboured feelings for the Archbishop's advisor. Their friendship was something she cherished above all else and how she loved their precious moments talking over tea in the monastery. Even if she could never admit her feelings, his company was enough. But his presence, walking beside her now and so very, very shirtless, was more than she could bear. Sweet Goddess, this man would be the death of her.She could get through this. A week in the forests of Goneril would fly by- nevermind all she had for company was him while her beloved Golden Deer trained elsewhere. It was just a week. Just. A. Week.TLDR: A story in which our pining heroine and everyone's favourite dragon dilf are trapped in a cave and sexy times happen.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Seteth
Comments: 69
Kudos: 401





	1. Temptation's Trail

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I've been in writing fanfiction privately for about 10 years now and after talking to a wonderful and supportive friend of mine, I finally put pen to paper to write something worthy of being posted online. A huge thank you to my friend and beta tester Crissy. Without you, this smut story wouldn't be a thing, so thank you kindly. 
> 
> And thank you too, dear readers. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it and I would love to hear your thoughts. 
> 
> Without further ado, enjoy :)

**Chapter I: Temptation’s Trail** ****  
**  
** **2 Garland Moon**

As the summer winds blew heavy through the forests of Goneril, morning was breaking out over the mountains of Almyra which lay far into the distance; sunlight bathing the green canopy above while the merry band of students and teachers followed Byleth’s lead below. The oppressive heat of the season, combined with last night’s rain, left the ground wet and sticky; insects abound and buzzing incessantly in people’s faces and nipping at flesh. 

She didn’t like the heat. It was stifling and sickly and never could she take off enough layers to escape the wretched warmth that clung to her body like a second skin. She huffed. It didn’t help that  _ he _ had volunteered to join her for this excursion, having forgone the long, navy doublet and puffy white shirt of his usual attire for something more  _ sinfully  _ cooler. And he hadn’t a care it seemed, walking beside her in nothing but a pair of cotton trousers and black boots. He had been the last to follow suit after the boys began to strip from their shirts one by one, but the heat had beaten him eventually and now Byleth didn’t know whether she wanted to curse the summer or praise it. She tried to look ahead and focus on finding the clearing near the river. She had really tried. But remembering Shamir’s directions was difficult when she could still see him in the corner of her eye and  _ feel _ the heat radiating from his body next to her. She could just imagine tracing the hard lines of his stomach, imagining him shudder underneath her touch as her fingers drew lower and lower until she’d slip a hand under-

_ Stop it _ . 

She sighed, wiping the sweat from her forehead and taking a swig from her waterskin. It wouldn’t do to go lusting after the man who was so,  _ so _ close to her -practically bumping into one another- when they were _ in the presence of children _ . Granted, her class were teenagers but that seemed even worse. And she didn’t dare think when he’d brushed an arm against hers as he manoeuvred over an upwards twisting tree root. 

OW!

Ah, someone had clearly not looked where they were walking. Good. A distraction.

Turning around, she chuckled at the sight of Hilda on the ground, clutching her knee. A small part of it was red and muddy; her hands and lower part of her other leg also caked in mud and leaves. Naturally, Hilda played up the ‘injury’ and roped poor Ferdinand into not only helping her up, but carrying her as well. Raphael was only too happy to carry her heavy backpack as Hilda fawned over her  _ handsome rescuers _ . 

Sighing, Byleth shook her head.

“Can we please make sure we look where we are going. I DON’T want to be carrying anyone back to the monastery in pieces.” She called out to the class with perhaps a bit more bite than usual, but with the weather and a certain man whose gaze she could feel on her, she was pretty well-justified.

“That goes double for you, Flayn!”

“AH- I am FINE, brother. The professor’s warning was enough!”

Walking once again, she could tell he wanted her attention. She didn’t dare glance his way- she knew  _ exactly _ where she’d look and dear Goddess if he caught her looking, she had no doubt she’d die of embarrassment- but every so often as they walked, skin would graze against skin and not once did the weight of his gaze leave her. Chancing back to look over her left shoulder, she saw that the class had fallen a few paces behind, Ferdinand and Hilda now at the front of the group and chatting between themselves. Claude was walking slightly off to the side but just behind the ‘fair maiden’ and her ‘prince’, talking in a hushed whisper to Flayn who seemed to be… giggling? He winked at her when she caught his eye and she couldn’t help narrow her eyes in suspicion. They were up to something…

It didn’t matter. Whatever scheme Claude was concocting, it could wait until they had set up camp. Not much farther now. Surely. Just so long as she kept her eyes ahead.

“Is everything alright, Byleth? You look troubled.”

Fuck.

Well, it would be rude not to look at him, right? And look at him she did. It was just a sideways glance, brief enough not melt her legs into jelly but sweet Goddess it was enough all the same: Tall, strong, defined in all the right places with just a smattering of hair on his chest that trickled  _ downwards _ like a tempter’s trail to pure damnation. She watched as a small bead of sweat trailed down from the bob of his throat and cut a path through his glistening skin. A breeze passed through, sending the thick green curls on his head astray and she could just about see the elegantly pointed tips of his ears, always hidden despite the regality they brought to his face. A second breeze brought along more of that sinful scent of the birch tar cologne he wore, mixed with the musk of his own sweat: a divine ambrosia she wished she could savour on her tongue, even if it was just once.

Biting back a moan, she cleared her throat and tried to rub her eyes free of the horribly wonderful image that had now burned into her mind. 

“I- I’m okay, thank you, Seteth. It’s… It’s just that I, ugh, don’t fare well in this sort of heat.”

“I understand, myself and Flayn don’t particularly like this weather either. There is simply no escaping the heat…” He sighed, dropping his voice to little more than a deep whisper as he ran a hand through his hair and looking ahead, “...no matter how matter layers you abandon.”

She gulped, now openly enraptured at the sight of him as he rolled back his shoulders. The heavy knapsack he carried on his back seemed to weigh nothing to him- but she supposed, those muscles weren’t just for show. Goddess, how had she not noticed them before. Sure, he wasn’t bursting at the seams like Raphael was but how could one could be lithe and yet so- 

Shit.

At once, she felt her face flush when she caught sight of those emerald eyes. And that hint of a smile that danced on his lips, she-  _ Abort! Abort! _ Coughing, Byleth focused on the path ahead and didn’t dare look back when she heard him chuckle. No doubt she had gone scarlet, though she hoped that he and the others would assume it was the heat. But that  _ was _ all it was after all. The heat. And certainly it had nothing to do with the handsome man who was still walking far too close to her.

He would be the end of her, she just knew it.

* * *

  
  


By the time they had found the small clearing Shamir described, it was practically midday and the class was exhausted. She had to admit, between the weapons and knapsacks they carried, it was no wonder they had all but collapsed on the ground. Byleth  _ had _ planned for a lesson on foraging after an hour’s rest so as to try to get them into the swing of things, the whole point of this excursion was to teach them about survival after all, but she took pity on them and gave them the evening to relax while they still could. 

“Listen up class. We are two days away from civilisation of any kind and we have five days within this forest. As I said before we left Garreg Mach, the point of this exercise is for you to hone your survival skills. Goddess willing, you will never be put in a position where you must find and make your own food and shelter, but on the slim chance that does happen, these next five days will prove invaluable.

Myself and Seteth will be in the next clearing, a ten minute walk to the east, should there be an emergency. If you need to contact us sooner than that, please invoke the wisp messenger spell I taught you all last week.

Over the next few days, we will be using the wisps to give you tasks, so you will have no contact with us personally other than our caving experience tomorrow. It will be entirely down to you guys how you organise yourselves and how you get tasks done. Pick a leader or don’t, I don’t care. It doesn’t matter so long as the tasks are completed within the time constraints given. 

Now, with that in mind, you will have three tasks to complete by sundown: One, shelter must be made for everyone; two, you will need to find clean water to drink, bathe and wash things in; three, you will need to have a campfire built. Any questions?”

When no one answered, she and Seteth bid them good luck and headed east as promised. It wasn’t until they reached the outskirts of the clearing that they heard the first signs of bickering as to who got to do what, causing Byleth to sigh and shake her head. She could tell they were going to have a rough night if they couldn’t put aside their differences and act soon.

Speaking of rough nights, she doubted she would be getting enough sleep either. Especially when he was setting up his tent so, so,  _ so _ close to hers. They were flimsy things, as well- nothing more some thin oak branches, oiled leather canvases and bedrolls. It was more than the students had, but little enough that they could have some survival experience as well. 

Setting the Sword of the Creator deep into the ground beside the opening of her tent, she coughed to get his attention, regretting when she did so as she looked over to where he was, bent over and tending to the small fire they had got going. Now free of the knapsack, her eyes traced the chiseled lines of his back and the glistening skin; he was practically glowing in the midday heat and she had to envy him. She probably looked like a drowned rat with her mint curls matted and bunched up uncomfortably in a braided bun behind her head. But him? He was taking the heat with elegance. 

“Er-hm, so, um.Who do you think will break first? I bet five gold pieces that it’s Lorenz.” 

“Why professor, I didn’t know you were a betting woman. Hmm, let me think.” She glupped as he straightened back up to his full height, one hand coming to rest at his chin as he feigned thought while the other went behind his back. Sweet, mercyful Fate, what she wouldn’t give to pounce on him at that moment, “Hmmm, I’d wager Mercedes if I didn’t know she liked to bake with you and Lysithea. She’ll find some purpose cooking for the group, to be sure. Hm.” He paused again, “Now  _ I _ don’t think Lorenz will want to be the first to quit either-”

“Why’s that?” She asked, sitting down to use her sword as a backrest.

In an instant, she was trapped by his gaze and she practically melted at the wicked smile he cast her way. That was new. Terribly new. Terribly, wonderfully new, in fact. She was used to the odd smile he cast her way but this? Oh, this made her squirm so delightfully she barely knew what to do with herself- or him, for that matter.

“Lorenz will see it as a challenge. He’ll see it as a weakness if he expresses any sort of complaint first. If it’ll be anyone, it will be Claude.”

“Claude?”

  
“You don’t think so?”

“No. He’s not got the ruff and pomp like some of the others have- and I’ll have you know he’s confided in me that did not have a noble upbringing. I very much doubt someone from a humbler background than Lorenz or Ferdinand will break first.”

“Then it’s a bet: If Claude breaks first, I win; if Lorenz break first, then you win.” Striding towards her, he extended a hand out to her, “Is that a deal, Professor?”

Rising to meet him, she fought the shudder that made its way up her back at the sound of her title on his lips. She took his hand, giving it a shake, “A deal it is, Seteth. May the best woman win.”

She thought herself clever to tease him, but a simple tug towards him had her gasping as he bent low and his lips ghosted the shell of her ear. She heard him chuckle, low and seductive as it resonated deep within his chest. Felt it through the hand that had fallen on his shoulder; fingers splayed out over the hard muscle before they descended down over his chest, toying with dark curls she found there and he  _ growled  _ in approval. That rapturous sound had her instinctively leaning inwards and curling her toes. Sweet Goddess, with every slow breath against her skin she wanted to just fall into his arms and beg him to take her. She’d howl for him, she was certain. If he would just put those soft lips to use, instead of torturing her like this, she would- Oh  _ Oh!  _ But the way they skimmed her ear with such a featherweight touch, why she- she could-... Oh why couldn’t he just- Something unbidden escaped her lips, low and needy and she desperately wanted to follow him as he pulled away, stopping when his other hand went to cup her chin and his lips were  _ so _ close to hers. She watched him, his eyes dark and oh, he definitely knew what he was doing to her when he smirked, running his tongue over his bottom lip.

“And when  _ he  _ wins, be sure to congratulate him, won’t you?”

And then he was gone; taking the snares, hunting bow and quiver of arrows with him and promising to find something for them to eat. She couldn’t think straight, legs wobbling until she collapsed back down and she let out a giggle. That had to be some kind of dream, didn’t it? Surely,  _ surely _ , he hadn’t- but he did! And it felt so good. 

She sighed, raising a hand to her ear as she still felt the ghost of him, so close she could smell the intoxicating aroma of his skin. When- Why-? Did it matter? Did she want it to? Oh Sothis, she would keep that image of his dark eyes for the rest of her days if she could. Like he could have devoured her right then and there… Her hand fell to her lips.

He was going to be her undoing. 

She could feel it.


	2. The Descent Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something goes terribly, terribly wrong...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say a huge thank you to all you lovely people who have commented, given kudos and bookmarked! I hope this story is worthy of your time and thank you for your support. <3

**Chapter II: The Descent Part I**

**3 Garland Moon**

She was right. She hadn’t gotten much sleep that night. 

It had taken a good while to collect her senses after Seteth left the camp, but in the end she had put herself to good use. They had taken a lot of supplies with them, both for their sakes and for the students: from small bundles of reserve rations and extra water skins, to cooking and medical supplies, to even several spare oil canvases and fishing rods in case her class was truly hopeless, they had pretty much prepared for everything. Taking time to sort through it all took the rest of the afternoon; by the time Seteth returned with two rabbits, some wild potatoes and cattail, she was in the midsts of placing the pan and iron tripod over the crackling fire as the sky turned red. Things had seemed normal while he prepared the meat and she cleaned and chopped the cattail stalks and potatoes. He worried about Flayn and she comforted him, reminding him that if she faced any trouble, her wisp would soon let them know. She asked when and where he had learnt to hunt and he confided in her that he had learnt during the many years of living in seclusion with his wife and Flayn. 

But something had shifted after that. Hungry green eyes across the fire as they ate. The conversation shifting into more personal questions- and not all were his, either. She couldn’t deny it, she felt something pull her towards him; always gravitating his way. But this was more than the afternoon tea times spent in the monastery gardens. It was more than the double-entendres in his office, always so sure of his innocence but stirring the butterflies in her stomach all the same. Now she was definitely certain she wasn’t the only one who felt something between them.

Especially when he’d taken her hand and kissed it goodnight. Sothis preserve her, she hadn’t known what to do with herself. Just a few hours ago he had made her giggle like some schoolgirl with her first crush and now she was barely squeaking out a goodnight before flying into her tent. Her, Byleth Eisner, the Ashen Demon. The one who never flinched in battle. Who never let emotions take hold. Now reduced to a blushing mess. 

Sometime after that, she’d watched his silhouette through the canvas of her tent as he so brazenly undressed in the camplight. It was for her benefit, she was certain: Standing at just the right angle so she saw _everything_ ; taking his sweet time to undo the belt of his trousers and the way he whipped it over to his tent once free, she had squeaked. He had laughed but said nothing, allowing her to enjoy the rest of the show. When he finished undressing and crawled into his tent, he bade her goodnight and like a fool she whispered in kind. He had heard her, muttering something she couldn’t quite hear and soon drifted off to sleep while her mind had raced for hours, replaying the scene of that silhouetted strip-tease over and over again. Only settling to sleep once exhaustion took her.

When she awoke, the late morning sunlight shone through her tent and she could smell the sweet and smoky aroma of onion and smoked meats cooking. She hummed as she slowly rose from her bedroll, stretching and adjusting the oversized tunic she wore as a nightdress. Her stomach growled and she had to agree that whatever it was that cooking smelt amazing. Peaking through the gap of her tent, she watched as Seteth kneeled beside the pan over the campfire, cracking in some eggs and stirring the contents of the pan around intermittently. He was shirtless again, skin already glistening from the heat of the fire. Instead of the white cotton trousers he wore yesterday, he now had a navy pair on with a gold sash that had a white stitching similar in design to the cape of his usual attire, sitting low around his waist. A white shirt was folded by his tent, clearly discarded when the heat became too much. She watched him for a while, meticulously adding ingredients; moving from the pan to the bowls beside him. A few tomatoes here, a sprig of herb there. Salt. Pepper. A crumbling of cheese. It was simply fascinating watching him work, quick and steady movements with a practiced precision. It suddenly occurred to her that he most likely raised Flayn on his own for the most part, having stepped up to the challenge to be both mother and father to his little girl. It was adorable how he seemed so focused on his work, as if everything needed to be just right or he would throw it into the fire and do it all again.

As if on cue, her stomach made another low growl and once again she was caught staring as he glanced at her with the faintest hint of smug smile. Fighting past the heat which pooled at her cheeks, she quickly scrambled out of her tent and walked over to him.

“Ah-Hm...Good...um...Good morning. Something smells good.” She said, leaning over to see what was cooking in the pan. 

“Good morning. I hope you don’t mind omelette. I figured we’d need something heartier for breakfast than the usual hardtack and gruel.” 

“Hmm, omelette sounds good. Do you, um, need any help?”

He pointed to where two wooden bowls where just out of his reach, “Would you be so kind as to pass the bowls this way? I think it’s done now.”

“Sure.”

“So. Did you sleep well?” He asked, portioning up the omelette in the pan before dividing it between the two bowls and handing one to Byleth. Her breath hitched when their hands met; his fingers drawing slowly hers.

“O-Oh, yes. Thank you. And yourself?” She retreated away from the fire to sit by her tent and shove a spoonful of eggs and smoked sausage into her mouth, “Hm, this is really good.”

“Heh, I’m glad you like it… Mind if I join you, Professor? I won’t bite.”

Flushing again, she quickly nodded. She did her best to ignore him when he sat opposite her, knees barely touching.

“So what is the plan for today?”

“Oh they’re going to suffer today. I’m going to split the group up; take one half on a wild goose chase to find some rare medicinal supplies while the other half goes off northwards to begin a treasure hunt. I just need to check that everything Shamir left last week is still here.” She paused to chew on another bite of omelette, “When it gets to dusk, we’ll head out to Sinner’s Cave and teach them about cave survival. Give them some advice I wish I’d had and all that.”

“You’ve been trapped in a cave before?”

“Oh, yeah. It wasn’t long after my father started bringing me out on mercenary jobs- I was pretty young at the time, maybe eleven, twelve years old? Anyway, we were out in Hyrm territory by the sea. We’d been hired to do a mock battle on the cliffside by some noble and as it turned out, the area was pretty unstable. A meteor spell collapsed some of the roof of the cave complex underneath- I happened to standing in _just_ the right position and- well, you can guess what happened next.” She took another bite, eyes still locked onto her bowl, “Luckily, I landed in a flooded cavern and was able to track the water back to a cove on the shoreline.They found me three days later and I was in a really bad way. I mean, I _survived_ , obviously but there was some pretty basic stuff that I didn’t know that would have been really fucking useful back then, y’know?” She paused, daring to look up at those emerald eyes which bore right into her soul, “It was probably one of the worst experiences of my life. I can tell people about it now, but for years after I kept it close to my chest. The darkness is… was… harrowing. It’s not like at night where there’s always the moon and stars to guide you… There’s _nothing_. It’s-...But, if what I learnt then and what I now know can help one of my students- well, then the lesson was worth it in the end…”

“That is an admirable thing to do, Byleth.” He reached out the place a hand on her knee, rubbing slow circles with his thumb. The contact anchored her. She was here, outside. Not in there. “Do the caves still frighten you?”

“No. There was a lot of work flushing out monsters from caves when I was a merc and I pretty much had to swallow that fear straight after the incident- Jeralt had been pretty insistent that I didn’t need to go on those sorts of jobs, but I pushed myself anyway. One extra sword might have been the difference between life and death, afterall.”

Moments passed and she began to squirm under his gaze, following her as she looked down and ate the rest of her breakfast in the quiet. She didn’t know why she had opened up to him like that. Perhaps there was still some semblance of a wound that needed closing? The only other person she had told- truly told- was her father. He had been her rock; always there and always ready to anchor her when some sliver of emotion threatened her stoic mask. Maybe she wanted Seteth to be the same? Ah, but that was just ridiculous. He had Flayn to worry about and-

“You’ll need help checking the caches, won’t you? If you tell me where some of them are I can go do that now while you finish eating.” He said, rising from the ground with a now empty bowl.

She shook her head, “No need. I’m done- it was _really_ good though. You’re going to be on chef duty from now on.” 

He smiled. She smiled back. 

“You can accompany me if you want? I just -ah,” She looked down, slowly filling up with mortification as she realised what kind of state she must have looked, “I need to get ready first… I don’t know why I’ve been… prancing around in my nightdress…all this time. Great.” 

Sothis save her from this embarrassment. She’d been too distracted to even care that she was barely clothed- no bra, only a thin layer of cloth and lace between her skin and his eyes and- He was looking at her now, wasn’t he? No, no, no, no! She tried to hide her redding face behind the veil of her hair as she pulled it from it’s braid, falling to her hips in flattened curls. That only seemed to make this worse, enticing his eyes away from her tunic to stare so shamelessly downwards that she swore as she turned scarlet.

“Ah, but you look so _adorable_ as you are now. I don’t mind.” He took a step towards her, raking his eyes up and down her paralyzed form once more before he advanced again, leaving but a hair’s breadth between them. Dipping his head into the crook of her neck as his hand came to graze the side of her face, he crooned, “In fact, I rather adore seeing you like this. I wonder…”

_Oh_. Oh no. Oh no, no,no, no. But the way his lips softly pressed against her neck, barely more than a whisper of skin- She couldn’t take it anymore. She- She-!

“ _Aah_. Ah, uh. I’mgoingtogogetdressednow!”

Thrusting her bowl into his hands, she dove back into her tent and pretended to rummage around her knapsack for the outfit she had reserved for today. She heard him sigh before his gentle footfalls moved away from their tents, signalling that he was leaving the camp to wash their bowls in the river. She couldn't take anymore of this. But it was inappropriate- unprofessional- she was so young and he- what would Flayn think? Why was he acting this way now? Had something changed? Something was wrong- surely, if he- But then again...it had felt so _right._ Why was she pushing him away after months of pining over him? And the way she felt when he had drawn near … Oh sweet Goddess.

She _really_ couldn’t take much more of this.

* * *

  
  
  


“Good evening, class!” 

They looked terrible and Byleth couldn’t help but giggle at the sight of the haggard faces. As a whole, the girls were fairing only slightly better than the boys: Dorothea, Mercedes and Hilda had managed to apply each other’s makeup fairly well, though it was obvious it had been done with an unfamiliar hand. The boys on the other hand...Well, the usual suspects were near enough on par with the ladies, but it looked like Raphael and Caspar had cared less about the state of their hair and more about fighting in the river, what with the way their clothes were now a patchwork of clean cloth and mud. Flayn seemed particularly well dressed- especially for sleeping so rough, but when she had glanced towards Seteth who was practically glowing at the sight of his daughter, the jig was up and she sighed, shaking her head. No doubt he had given her a few more lessons on survival as soon as he knew of the trip. She couldn’t blame him and he did look adorable, trying and failing to mask the pride of his little girl looking so well put together while the others...well, frankly they looked awful. None of them had come out looking particularly well-rested and some even looked ill.

“How did your day go?”

“Claude poisoned us”

“Hey I said I was sorry!”

“I’m still hungry-”

“You’re ALWAYS hungry, Raphael.”

“Yet after I was in the hunting for that boar even?”

“I found today rather enjoyable, thank you for asking. Brother, Leonie caught the biggest fish for lunch today!”

“We didn’t manage to find all the clues on that tr-”

Sighing, she raised her hand and the chorus of voices stopped, “Okay, new question: Who enjoyed today?” Flayn, Ashe, Leonie, Claude, Petra and Ignatz. “Okay, next question: Who didn’t enjoy today?” Lorenz, Hilda, Felix, Mercedes, Raphael, Ingrid and Bernadetta. “Who didn’t really care either way?” The rest raised their hands. Okay, that wasn’t too bad. Some of them she suspected- and even better, it looked like she would win their bet if Lorenz wasn’t happy. “Who wants the chance to earn a decent meal?” She chuckled as they all raised their hands, Raphael giving an enthusiastic yell.

“If that’s the case, please follow us. The professor is going to teach you how to survive in the event you are trapped in a cave. If you listen well enough, we might just take pity on you and let you take some of the rations from our camp. Now, before we start, I must stress that you must be on your best behaviour. There is always a constant danger of a cave-in and we would prefer not to immediately put into practice what Professor Eisner teaches us this evening. Understood?”

Met with a chorus of “Yes, Sir”s, Seteth seemed satisfied and walked alongside Byleth as she led the way to the cave, an hour’s journey south-east from their camp. Evening had settled into the forest, still bright enough for another few hours but the sky was now a dazzling hue of reds, yellows and blues. With the evening came a light drizzle of rain and a dropping temperature; Byleth was glad to have packed a cape: over the grey shirt and thin leather bodice, it kept the water from dripping down her shoulders and soggying her black trousers but with no hood, her hair had gotten damp. Not that it mattered much, braided and tied up in her usual style. She and Seteth had taken their knapsacks, filled to the brim with both emergency rations and medical kits; though it weighed heavy on her back, it provided some sort of comfort as they neared the cave.

The cave itself had a small opening, barely visible in the rocky mountainside if you didn’t know where to look. A waterfall ran towards the south, its echoes filling the quiet of the evening when the birdsong began to dwindle. Summoning a flame in her hand, she urged the class to follow her into the inky darkness. As they walked, she spoke of how to identify water safe to drink; how to always mark your way if you wandered into a cave so you knew how to get out and most importantly, warned against going into caves altogether.

“-You never know what could be lurking underground: Nightcrawlers, Trolls and Cave Wyrms are some of the most common creatures lurking in the dark. Usually, the deeper you go, the more dangerous the monster. In large cave systems with water like this one, you’ll run the risk of coming across white and grey-eyed leviathans. If you do, your best chance of survival is to run. Most likely, you’re on its territory and if they don’t kill you with their fiery breath, the resulting cave-in of their rampage will.”

They entered into a cavern: Unlike the black tunnels which wove this way and that, the area was flooded with light which poured in from the giant hole high above. On the small ledge where they stood, they watched water cascade down deeper into the cave from the opening, bringing a cool and chilling breeze. The cave was noticeably green here, thin vines hanging from the rocky ceiling; moss creeping up the damp walls. 

“Um, professor? There aren’t any monsters like that here, are there? Or like, at all, right?”

“Don’t worry, Hilda. The professor had Shamir and some knights scout out the cave before we came. It is doubtful that something could have-”

Over the deafening rush of the waterfall, a blood curdling screech came from a nearby hollow. They held their breath as stomping followed, shaking the very bones of the earth. Another scream and at once, everything slowed as the ground beneath them shifted. Flayn let out a scream, falling backwards into the gaping maw of the cavern as the ground gave way. Byleth was the first to react, pushing past Hilda and Linhardt to grab her hand as she fell, pulling her forwards. She only caught a glimpse of Flayn who watched wide-eyed, now safely in the arms of her fellow students but unable to save her professor who now fell backwards. She vaguely registered Seteth shouting and taking her hand, he too losing his footing on the crumbling ledge. 

The darkness took them as the chorus of voices crying out for their professors faded into the distance.


	3. The Descent Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you so much for the kudos, comments and bookmarks. <3

**Chapter III: The Descent Part II**

******  
****3 Garland Moon**

They fell, long and hard into the black; moments passing by in a blur with the hissing of the wind in her ears. In the freefall he’d pulled her close and bore the brunt of the dive into the pool, lungs screaming as the icy water enveloped them and the need to survive kicked in. Her eyes stung as she floundered towards the surface, the next breath of air burning her lungs as she gasped. She couldn’t hear Seteth and panic gripped her as she dived back down. A few quick pushes downwards had her feeling the cloth of his shirt and she pulled, dragging him upwards and holding him close as they reached the surface once more. 

“Seteth? Can you hear me? Seteth?!”

At once he spluttered and gasped for breath, pawing at her until he was able to stabilise himself in the water. With one hand around his torso, Byleth raised her palm high as she treaded water, summoning a small flame. A bank was nearby and Byleth could have cried at the stroke of luck, awkwardly swimming with Seteth in tow until she was able to drag herself and him to shore.

“S-Shit. What- I don’t-? What _was_ that?” She gasped, coughing and heaving dry air as her body tried to stabilise itself. She whispered an incantation, summoning the faint green flow of her wisp, “Claude? Flayn? Anyone? Is anyone there?”

She sent the wisp flying upwards, through the black and high rocky walls. That didn’t sound like any monster she knew. What’s worse was that it sounded like it was coming after them.. She removed her sword from her back and dug it deep into the soft shore, leaning on it and summoning another flame, this time sending it high as it exploded, illuminating the area which they now found themselves in. The walls were much too high and smooth to scale, covered in slick moss and curving hollow; the shore led to smooth rock, a hollow chamber with the pool at it’s centre. Surprisingly, there were trees here, growing tall near where the water fell into the pool.

She sighed, they were alive at least.

  
“Seteth?”

When no response came, she felt the pit in her stomach drop once more and hobbled towards him, shaking him at the shoulder, “Hey, Seteth? Hey!” He was lying on his back, a faint groan emanating from his lips, barely enough to hear. “What’s the matter? Seteth!”

He took her hand, weakly guiding her to his left side where she felt a warm wetness. He hissed when her fingers grazed the wound, blood pouring from it steadily and she swore. With one hand channeling healing magic, she slipped her knapsack from her back and rummaged around until she found the tin of medical supplies. A simple shake told her that luckily, water had not entered the enchanted tin but such little victories could be saved for later. She’d admit, she was a fighter before a healer; barely able to sustain even the simplest white magic spell for longer than a minute and she cursed and cursed again as with every wane of concentration, the golden light flickered out from her palm pressed against his wounded side. After a while, she’d felt it safe to draw the cloth of his shirt away from the wound. He was still conscious, but the pain had left him barely able to form words long enough for a complete sentence.

“Ah… You’re not… not…?”

“No. You took care of that.”

“Heh- Ah! Dammit woman. M-Manuela told… She told me… You were- shiiiii-”

“Sorry!”

“-you’re _terrible_ with white- Fuck!”

“I know, I’m sorry! Sorry! Just don’t move, okay?” Unravelling some gauze bandaging, she set to work slowly dressing the wound. He was still bleeding, soaking through each layer as she dressed him, but it had been significantly less than before and the wound was no longer a gaping hole. What needed to be healed naturally would heal and after another minute of a healing spell, Byleth was certain that he wouldn’t be bleeding to death any time soon, “I don’t have anything for the pain… You’re going to need to stay put as you heal up, so don’t move. But for the moment, it looks like we’re stuck down here anyway.”

“Is Flayn-?”

“Last thing I saw was Claude and Ferdinand helping her to her feet. Since she’s not down here with us, I think it’s safe to say she’s safe.” Stepping back, she took her sword in hand, holding open a flame with her right, “I’m going to check the area. Hopefully whatever it was that caused that commotion isn’t down here with us.”

The cavern was huge and much greener than she expected. Those wisps of trees she saw by the shore turned out to be more plentiful than she first thought; the moss underneath her feet like a wet grass. The pool they had landed in had fish, though she couldn’t tell what kind as they had all too quickly moved away when the light graced the crystal waters. The other side of their little shore raised up into a smooth plateau where the stone was much more dry. Some bushes grew along the far side, thick, black and spiky but a perfect guard against the burnt of the chill breeze which blew from the waterfall. Little else was of interest and so, content with the knowledge that they were safe for now, she turned and headed back to camp.

* * *

  
  


“Hey, it’s barely been an hour! You can’t get up yet!”

She saw his pale form, sitting up and leaning his head on a propped up knee. The heavy breathing told her that he was still in pain, clutching at the sandy shore beneath him as he shook with each laboured breath.

“Seteth?”

The green eyes of a beast flashed in the dim-light as he snapped his head towards her and tried to scramble to his feet in the brief moment she was caught off-guard. Those eyes… No human could possess those terrible eyes. Dark. Dangerous. Deadly. Even as his slitted pupils blew wide, they failed to capture even the barest hint of humanity...

He’d barely gotten above a crouch before her blade was pressed against his throat, rising with him and drawing the faintest hint of blood. A raging green flame hissed in her left hand, ready to burn the man before her into cinders at a moment’s notice. There were scales around his eyes where skin should be, an iridescent dark green that shimmered in the flame-light and she could see the white, elongated canines which now protruded from his top and bottom jaws. As he raised his hands in front of his chest, she noticed more scales peppering his skin; nails now long and sharp- so different from Seteth’s immaculate trim.

  
“Byleth! I-” 

“Who are you and where is Seteth?”

“I don’t-”

“Save your lies for someone else. I’ve dealt with shapechangers before, I know how this works. Where is he?”

“I swear to you it’s-”

She kicked his legs from underneath him, taking him to the ground and he heaved, breathless. The length of the blade had followed him, setting uncomfortably under his chin while one of her knees dug into his stomach. She drew the fire closer towards him, green eyes betraying her rage.

  
“By sword or fire. That will be your next choice if you continue to keep up this pathetic act. How long have you posed as him, I wonder? Since this morning? Or did you have the audacity to slither into the monastery? Answer me, wyrm.”

“It’s _me_. Sweet Goddess, why are you acting so hostile?”

“So you still insist on pretending? Your mask has slipped- Now die.” She began to incant the fireball spell, raising her hand higher to aim it at his face as he struggled beneath her.

Just as she was about to release the spell, her grip on her sword faltered and he seized the opportunity to push her off-balance. He barely had time to register the fireball flying over his head before he pushed her onto her back, flinging the Sword of the Creator out of her reach and pinning her wrists to the ground while he used one of his legs to hold her hips down. She cursed, struggling to free her legs but even when she pushed with all her might, he held firm against her with a bruising ferocity.

“Will you- Will you just _STOP_! Wh-What’s gotten into you? BYLETH. For Goddess’ sake, woman, will you stop this instant!”

“What have you have you done with the real Seteth?”  
  


“I AM the real Seteth!”

“Bullshit!”

She renewed her struggle and in the commotion, managed to slip her right hand free, landing a desperate punch to the side of his jaw. His head reeled and he instinctively drew backwards, allowing her to shuffle out from under him and crawl to her sword. Her fingers had barely touched its hilt before she felt him grab ahold of her leg and drag her back, this time pouncing before she had the chance to resist. Hands once again on her wrists and his weight pressed against her back, she hissed and cursed.

“Get off of me!”

The venom was palpable in her words as she continued to struggle. She had to admit, for a crafted form, they had even gotten his scent perfectly, thick and deadly as they hovered above her.

“Not until you calm down! Whatever you believe, it IS me.”

“No, you’re not. Seteth doesn’t look like that!”

“Look like what?”

“Ha! What? You forgot that his eyes didn’t look human? Or did you think _scales_ better suited him? You’re- urgh. I swear, if you’ve hurt him-”

She felt him still above her, “Shit.”

“Has it finally clicked in? So who are you r-”

He sank down to press his lips gently against her ear, heedless of how she protested against him, cursing him again and again. He’d just have to prove that is was him; tell her something that only the real Seteth would know. He sighed, dropping his voice to a whispering growl, “Remember the Red Wolf Moon and the flower garden? You’d set up the midnight show just for Flayn; all because I had foolishly forbid her from going to Prisythia. After it was over and she had gone to bed, you took my hand and thoroughly berated me as we danced. I’d never felt so ashamed at that moment… I’d never felt so entranced as I watched you among the blue daisies… It IS me, Byleth. I promise.”

The fight left her and she rested her forehead against the cool of the sand, “Shit, Seteth! I thought- why do you- You don’t _look_ like yourself. What happened?”

He shifted to the side, helping her up from the sand to sit beside him and rub her aching wrists. It was a small blessing that the bruises were already healing, but the guilty look he wore as she called forth a light to shine above them soothed whatever ire she still harboured.

“I suppose I have some explaining to do.” He sighed, “Forgive me, I never intended for you to see me like this. I understand how it can be… distressing, for some people.” He stared down at his hands, unable to meet her eye, “I… am not human.”

“No shit.” She grumbled.

And he laughed, the sound ringing hollow with a thin, baseless smile. “I suppose I deserve that. I will tell you everything, should you wish it. But first, I must ask you to swear that you will tell this to no one. I keep my secrets close for a reason and were anyone to find out, myself and Flayn would be in great danger. Please, promise that you will speak of this to no one.”

When she stayed silent, he sighed, taking her hands in his before finally looking her in the eye. There was a familiarity to those slitted pupils, she would admit. It was still him. Just a little different than before. A little less human. A _lot_ less human, in fact. Damn it, Sothis had warned her of this. Tried to prevent her from hopelessly falling in love with him. _“All is not as it appears to be.”_ she said. _“Be careful,”_ she said. Of course, she hadn’t listened and now she feared what he’d next say would shatter everything. 

Had she fallen in love with a monster?

But the longer she stared, the more something other than unease pooled inside of her and she gulped, trying desperately to repress the shudder that racked through her body. Those eyes were terrifying, yes but the way they seemed to stare through her, looking into her very soul… She squirmed, ashamed of how she was so shamelessly ogling while he prepared to bared his all to her. But Sothis, maybe she could get used to those eyes.

“I beg you. You will have the answers you seek but you _must_ promise.”

“Okay.” She nodded, “I promise.”

He seemed to relax at that, releasing a shaky breath before rubbing circles on the backs of her hands with his thumbs, “I am not human, but I am Nabatean- a child of the Goddess, who once walked beside her in Nabatea. In our truest forms, we take the shape of dragons- but I and Flayn gave up our wings long ago to hide amongst the mortals.” He paused, letting her absorb his words, “My real name is Cichol, One born from the Earth.”

“Cichol? Like the saint?”

“The very same.”

“Saint Cichol’s daughter was Cethleann, was she not? So then-”

“Yes, Flayn is Cethleann, One born from the Light.”

She nodded silently, eyes drifting down over his chest, distracted by the way his white shirt clung tight to his chest until she saw the red-stained bandages underneath. Slipping out a hand from his, she pulled his shirt up and ran her fingers over his bandages. She felt his breath hitch as she placed her hand over the bloodied area, pressing down and expecting to feel the soft give of a wound yet healed. She found instead hard muscle, frowning and undressing the area to find not even a scar where once there had been pierced flesh. She looked up at him, “Does you being a dragon have something to do with how you’ve healed so quickly? You were _wounded-_ and pretty badly at that, Set- Cichol. Not even the most powerful white spells can heal you like that.”

“I- I had hoped to heal myself while you explored the cavern. Powerful magic dwells within us. Once tapped into, we might bend it to our will to both harm and heal. But the wound was deeper than I initially thought and it seems as though I strained myself trying to recover, losing control over this form in the process. I cannot apologise enough, my friend. I will return to normal soon enough and I know it is not the easiest thing to see. Cethleann inherited her mother’s beauty, though I cannot say the same.” 

She leaned back, taking in the sight of him. She couldn’t agree. In the dim light she thought him surprisingly handsome, eyes shining; same strong features, now accented with scales which shimmered with gorgeous shades of blue and green. The scales which ran down his throat and under his shirt were teasing, just barely visible but so obviously there and very much enticing her eyes further down. She snapped her eyes away, unable to trust herself.

“I wouldn’t say that.” She mumbled, pleased with the faint upturn of his lip as she spoke, “Anyway, the way you keep saying ‘we’. You were referring yourself and Flayn- I mean, Cethleann- correct?”

“Please, do not trouble yourself with using our real names. In truth, it would be perhaps best to continue to use ‘Seteth’ and ‘Flayn’. A slip of the tongue at the wrong moment could be disastrous, afterall. And no, I do not just mean myself and Cethleann… As one who is reborn, you share all there is with us. We are the same, but I cannot say to what extent.”

“You know about me and Sothis?”

“I had suspicions when your hair and eyes had changed colour a few months ago- you, seemingly with no explanation and Lady Rhea strangely pleased at your transformation. I had not wanted to believe it at first, but with everything pointing towards such an explanation, I- ah, forgive me, I’ve digressed. Yes, I know you are the Progenitor God reborn.”

“So is Lady Rhea-”

  
“Yes. Another secret you must keep, even from her.”

“I see.” 

Would she one day turn into a dragon? If the children of the Goddess were dragons, surely the Progenitor God was one as well? She wondered what that would feel like. She felt different from when she and Sothis had been separate- was it more or less of who she was now? Shaking her head, she rubbed her eyes with the heels of her palms until she started seeing stars, sighing. It was a lot to take it and she was sure it wasn’t even the new day yet. 

“Are you okay?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah just feeling a little overwhelmed with it all, if I’m being honest. And we still haven’t heard back from the class. I’m starting to get worried.”

“I suppose we’ll just have to sit tight and get comfortable, won’t we?”

He took her hand and patted it, standing up to stretch. She could tell his mind had wandered back to Flayn, though words failed her when she thought of a way not to feed his anxiety. The man was a professional worrier, afterall. And if she was being honest with herself, she was starting to get _really_ worried about her students. Whatever the beast above was, it had sounded nasty and nothing like anything she had encountered in her days as a mercenary. The chance of any of them surviving something that sounded worse than a Cave Wyrm were slim at best- No. She had to think positive. They were smart kids and they could even give her a run for her money when they worked as a team. She just had to believe that they were alive and well, safe away from the monster above. And her wisp was just having a hard time finding them- soon enough she would hear from them and then they could begin devising a plan to get them out.

“Did you find anything down here?”

“Just some trees and fish in the pool. There’s no way out, the walls are too damp. Other than that, there’s some sort of plateau just back there. It’s dry, so that’s a small blessing.” 

“We’ll make a fire there, then. Come,” He said, extending a hand towards her.

* * *

Together they set to work: using her sword, she chopped down the dead trees which gathered near the plateau into suitable pieces of firewood. Stones from the shore were collected to make a base for the fire, large, black and shiny. When the next hour came, a fire was lit and they found themselves sat side by side. It was colder down here in the caves, but it was a small mercy that the faint breeze which blew from the waterfall could not reach them from behind the cover of bushes. Neither of them had dried from their plunge in the pool, now stripped down to their smallclothes and sharing body heat while their clothes dried on the ground by the fire. She had undone her braid, plaiting and unplaiting a lock of her hair while the rest tumbled down onto the floor. 

The easy conversation between them was broken when her wisp descended from the rock above; fluttering this way and that as it hummed a little tune. As it came near them, it ceased its humming and stilled. Then the light around it flared, turning from green to gold as a familiar voice rang out. 

_“Professor! We’re okay! Bad news: the way we came got blocked off by the cave-in after you two fell in the giant hole. Good news: we all made it out before then. We’re going- Hey!” Claude’s voice was interrupted by a quick scuffling, “Professor! Is my brother alive and well?” Flayn. “Please reply as soon as you are able.” Hushed whispering followed before Claude’s voice returned, “Tell Seteth Flayn’s worried sick about him- and you too, Teach. The plan is to go back to the village where we left our Wyverns and Pegasi. You’re at the bottom of the hole, right? We figured air support was our best bet since going back the way we came was out of the question and besides, I don’t think even Petra could make a ladder out of vines long enough to get to you guys. It's going to take a couple of days before Hilda and the others get there, so I’m afraid you’re going to have to hang tight and enjoy your stay in ‘Casa Del Dark Cave’! Well… see you soon! Try not to die, yeah?”_

She laughed quietly, shaking her head, “So we have at least another three days down here. Hmm. It could be worse. At least they all made it out-Flayn sounded well enough to worry.”

“Indeed, she must be worried sick- may we send a reply?”

“Sure,” raising a hand to the wisp, she muttered an incantation and gold light returned to green. She let Seteth speak into the wisp first, who proceeded to fuss over Flayn before she eventually got him cease his interrogation about her welfare and relinquish control of the wisp back to her, “We appreciate the quick response, Claude, but don’t push yourselves or try anything risky. We have supplies on us and plenty of fresh water so we can stay down here for longer if need be. Also, our camp will have useful supplies for you to use so go retrieve what you can. Good luck- and make sure that a big enough group goes with Hilda. There are plenty of monsters in the woods that will prey on a small enough travelling party.”

Sending the wisp skywards, it travelled back through the stone to wherever her students were and she sighed, leaning back of the flat on her blade which she’d wedged into one of the fissures of the rock beneath her. Beside her Seteth shifted, laying down on his back with his feet to the fire and arms pillowed under his head, eyes closing shut. He truly was a handsome man- all corded muscle and deliciously smooth skin, decorated with a smattering of hair which followed his limbs and down his chest, a thin line of thick hair travelling past his navel, disappearing into navy blue of his underwear. That particularly thin article of clothing left little to the imagination and her eyes lazily traced the thick bulge and bunched cloth, trying to work out which was which. 

As promised, the scales had mostly disappeared, save for a few spots here and there- A few under his right eye and down the side of his neck; and a collection of scales stubbornly remaining on his left side near where he had been wounded. The rest of his features were having a harder time reverting, though she didn’t mind nearly as much as she had done. Knowing it was still him had helped. 

Reaching out, Byleth absentmindedly traced patterns on his face with her fingers, stroking his nose and forehead; painting invisible swirls and flowers over his golden circlet and around his eyes, eventually following the curve of cheekbones down to his jawline before lazily making her way up to trace his eyebrows and begin the circuit again. The moan he made caught her by surprise. But when she stilled, he’d lazily opened an eye, a small pout forming on his lips. It spurred her to continue and she resumed her ghosting touch. They stayed like that for a time and Byleth enjoyed eliciting soft moans from the man with every stroke. Touching his ears and neck gave the strongest reaction, low growls which would grow in volume when she’d break away to deny him.

“Hungry?”

“Hmm, don’t… don’t stop.”

She purposefully drew her hand away, revelling in sound he made. After a few seconds he was staring at her, clearly unhappy but Byleth gasped at the way his pupils had been blown wide, no longer narrow slits but big and almost circular. Closing her mouth shut, she softened her gaze but he said nothing, remaining still and content to watch her. After a moment, she resumed her gentle stroking and he had been content to settle back down with his eyes closed once more.

“You’re enjoying this, huh?”

“You don’t know what you do to me, woman.”

She chuckled, shifting to lean over him slightly. She supposed now was as good a time as any to pay him back for his teasing at their camp, letting her lips brush the shell of his ear as he had done to her. 

“Care to enlightenment me?”

The low moan which erupted from his lips was music to her ears, earning him the graze of her teeth against his ear and a hand trailing down his chest, searing his skin with such sinful caresses. One of his hands had moved to clutch at her hip, practically clawing at her in pleasure. He began to gently buck his hips when her hand pawed at his stomach, growing impatient and her breath hitched when she caught sight of him in the peripheries of her vision. Oh. _Oh_. 

Consider her enlightened.

“You are a temptress.” He rasped, turning to her. His face was beginning to flush, half-lidded eyes dark and wanting.

“Consider this payback. You’ve been _cruel_ to me. It’s only fair I act in kind.”

He’d easily turned the tables, bringing her down underneath him. Strong arms framed her face, hands clutching at the tendrils of hair that now sprawled from her head like radiant fire and his hips hovered above hers, knees keeping her legs spread apart while heat pooled between them. He was so close. Face hovering above hers and she gasped at the harsh scowl he wore.

“I was only cruel because of you: You have done nothing but tease me since that dance two months ago. Every waking moment, you deny or indulge me with your presence _at your whim_ and don’t think I don’t know that you’ve been avoiding me.” He sunk his head lower to nip at her ear, rolling the soft flesh against his teeth, “We went from seeing one another on nigh daily basis to there being _days_ before I heard your voice again. Do you have any idea what that did to me?” He sank lower, and Byleth sighed as his breath danced along her skin. He huffed, taking a long, torturous moment to suck and nibble at her neck until red blossomed, all the while enjoying how she writhed underneath him, raking her nails across his skin and mewling, “I was haunted by you every night. In my dreams, you came to me and you gave me what I desired. I had you wet and wanting. Always so eager to please and be pleased. I adored it...Yet when I woke the next day, there was nothing to show for it but empty sheets. You’ve stolen my heart and you think _me_ cruel? By the Goddess’ Mercy, Byleth, I have desired you for so long, I don’t think I take much more of this.”

He drew himself up, pressing his forehead against her own, “Take me or cast me aside, you will have my friendship regardless. But I want more than that. I want you to lay beside me until the end of time; I want to fuck you senseless. I want my name to be the only one you cry out as you see stars in your pleasure. I want to be the one who is yours and yours alone, just as you would be mine. _Please_ , I know it is not much, but I offer my everything.”

Time stood still as she listened. Her heart swelled at his words and she feared staring into his eyes would break the dam of tears she was trying to keep at bay. So it definitely, _definitely_ , wasn’t just her. He felt it too. The attraction. The pull. It was pathetic how happy it made her to hear his confession, pulling at the edges of her mouth as she struggled to compose herself. There was heat to his words too and she could happily get lost in the forest of his eyes, once peaceful but now dark with hunger. 

“Will you not look at me? Please. A- Am I that repulsive that-”

She wanted him too.

But words weren’t enough. 


	4. The Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhh boi, here it is. The biggie. Heh. Biggie.  
> As usual, a huge thank you to everyone invested in this story. Just know that I appreciate every single one of you who takes the time to read this.

**Chapter IV: The Fall**

**  
** **4 Garland Moon** ****  
  


“Cichol…” She sighed against his lips, “I want you, too.”

He stilled and Byleth worried if she’d said something wrong. He hadn’t bothered to clarify if she could say his name when they were alone- and they were truly alone down here, nothing but the fish in the pool and the creeping shadows at the fireside’s edge to hear them- but his reaction hadn’t been what she wanted, at least until something ignited behind his eyes and he shuddered, exhaling shakily.

“Say it again.”

“Cichol. I want you.”

The press of his lips against hers left her burning, kissing her as though his very life depended on it. Lips parted soon after, followed by hungry moans as tongues clashed against one another. He lowered himself, releasing her hair to hold himself on his forearms and she seized the opportunity to send her hands roaming. They traced every line of hard muscles of his back, teasing his neck with the sharp hints of nails until she threaded her fingers through his hair and pulled gently. He _growled_ , pulling back his head to follow her fingers; letting her nails run over his scalp and she pulled his locks of his again. When his eyes fluttered open, she shivered under such a beastly stare, lost in the cruel pleasure they promised until he leaned back down to capture her lips in another kiss, biting oh so softly at her lower lip and taking her mouth with less grace than before; in the heat she felt him shift against her, poking the soft inside of her thigh with urgency. His hips bucked once and she sighed, encouraging him to begin rocking into her at a leisurely pace; all the while she burned beneath the thin black lace of her underwear and she could feel herself growing desperate for more. 

“I want to have my way with you, if that’s alright.” He shuddered against her, barely taking his lips from her for a moment. 

“Yes.” 

With a soft chuckle, he moved to tuck a stray strand of hair away from her face and press a chaste kiss into her lips. A moment of soft tenderness before the storm descended and they lost themselves to one another.

Illuminated by the amber light of the fire, Byleth thought him devilishly handsome: The thin sheen of sweat that was now beginning to form on his brow; the way his teeth bared with quiet, ragged breaths and how dark those eyes were now yearning with all the power and promise of some wicked demon. No. Not a demon. A _dragon_. 

“You’re going to forget your own name by the time I’m through with you.” 

“Is that a promise?” She joked, coy smile pulling at the edges of her mouth and lifting her head slightly to brush her lips against his.

He growled and closed the distance between them once more, ravaging her with a force so delightfully bruising; so wondrously punishing, nipping at her lips and putting that stern tongue to _such_ good use, she mewled under him with delight. But the moment she made a sound he denied her, pulling away with a cruel smile as she voiced her disapproval.

“Cichol, _please_.”

“Don’t be cheeky with me, woman.”

His kisses returned and descended downwards slowly; a blossoming trail left in his wake that ran from her ear to her collar. With each nip she cried out, barely recognising her own voice as it left her swollen lips and words could not describe how much she adored the heated breath which danced against her flesh with every exhale. Every breath drawing closer downwards, promising something so desirably wicked she was practically clawing at his back in anticipation. 

A pointed nail glided over her skin as his finger curled around the thin strap of her bra, encouraging the fabric down and over her shoulder so that he might place his lips there for a brief moment. But his fingers didn’t stop there, slipping round her back to untie the lace, slowly letting it loosen when she arched her back into another kiss until it was enough for him to shrug the fabric from her breasts and fling it into the darkness. The warmth of his hands was a welcome addition to her cold flesh as he palmed the sides of her soft skin, ever keen to avoid her perking nipple, much to her disappointment. He took time to savour her. With every soft caress of her skin he muttered sweet poetry, marvelling the taste of her; the way his hands cupped her so perfectly; how she felt so, so good against him. She gasped as he hummed into the valley of her breasts, relishing the way his hair dragged across her skin and how soft his lips were, breath searing fire against her flesh. 

The moments seemed to drag by too slowly. He was so close. He wasn’t close enough. Those lips would feel amazing if they just- if he just moved a little to the left and-.. She wanted more. She _needed_ more. Sweet Sothis, she couldn’t take much more of this torture. So she begged, his name rolling off her tongue in desperate pleas. She was clawing at his back; pawing at his hair. Anything to get a rise out of him. Yet her desperate pleas fell on deaf ears as he continued at his leisurely pace, hands content to wander oh so wonderfully about her body while his mouth kissed and nipped at her breasts without a care as to what it was doing to her. His lips never wandered where she wanted though. Never where he could suck a high out of her. She would moan for him, scream his name, if only he would just- She bucked, grinding against him; once, twice; again and again until she felt that small give of his resolve when his own hips pressed her down and he let out a displeased growl.

“Don’t be impatient,” He muttered between her breasts. 

“You’re being mean.”

“Am I now? Well then,” He started to pull away, rising with a cruel smirk she whined from the loss of her touch, begging for him to return, “If that is how you feel. Perhaps-”

“No! Please, please, please- Cichol! _Please_ . I can’t-” She was leaving angry red lines on his shoulders, fingers digging in as she tried to bring him back down to her. Despite her attempts, he remained where he was and she could feel the flames of her desire _burn_ as she wondered what it would be like for him to truly use his strength against her. She wanted him against her, hot and heavy; to hear him in his own dizzying high; to feel him inside her; to relish in their glorious joining as she screamed his name to the darkness around them.

“Will you behave?”

“Y-Yes!”

The crack in her voice seemed to satisfy him and he settled back down, hips rolling over hers and mouth back at it again to leave a particularly satisfying nip under her left breast. She felt his tongue glide against her, following the curve of her soft mounds until lips clasped over that oh so sensitive area and he _suckled_. She keened below him; the feeling of his mouth divine and how she adored those lithe fingers of his which toyed with her other breast. The graze of his teeth and their devilishly sharp edges had her writhing with wicked ecstasy, moaning his praises. Every hollow of his cheeks was electric; the whip of his tongue stealing the air from her lungs. She couldn’t breathe; couldn’t think, only let the heat take her as she began to lazily rock her hips against his. It hadn’t taken much encouragement for him to rut against her again. She could feel the slide of his length as it drew against her thigh in long, careful strokes and each time she wished away the lace and cloth which separated them, her breathless sighs and pleasured skrieks only serving to further her need for him. Of all him. But she’d wait. If he wanted to savour the heat, she’d have to wait lest he deny her his touch again and she was certain she’d go mad if he stopped now. 

Had it been so long for him? She wouldn’t be surprised if it had. He was a man of conviction; of principle. Hardly the type to wile away an evening with a nameless lover. Yet the way he moved suggested otherwise. 

Diligent. She shivered when she felt the nails of his hand rake down her form, the pleasure-pain in the wake of the red lines which now marked her; savoured the heat which pooled between her thighs when he stilled her hips with such little effort, even when she thought to tease him more by bucking again, the slightest tightening of muscle had held her steadfast to the ground. 

Taunting. He was denying them both, it seemed; his voice low as he whispered sweet nothings above her, releasing her nipple with a delectable pop and claiming her mouth as she sighed at the loss of him. His breathing came in hard, short bursts through his nose but that didn’t deter him, pressing hard against her with desire. 

Wanton. She felt the lace around her hips slide down as he slipped his hand to toy with her coarse curls and oh! How she twisted in knots as he took her underwear and threw it off to the side, leaving her bare before him. He was so close. So, so, so close. Desperate, her hands were quick to mirror his, curling under the cloth of his pants and pulling them down until, with some coaxing, they were discarded somewhere near them. Her nails raked across his thighs; up and down his ass, all the while trying to burn him with the same red lines as he had marked her with; drinking in his moans and the way his eyes fluttered shut for a brief moment as he pulled away to stare back down at her with those terrible, gorgeous eyes. On his knees before her, between her legs, he looked divine: flushed and naked and haloed in the light of the fire behind him; the body of a beast forged in war and for her eyes only. Lithe. Powerful. Hungry. Desperate. He was desperate for her.

And she was at his mercy.

Sothis… The blasphemy fell short in her mind as she rose to meet him, hands snaking up his body; over his chest until they brushed his ears and the sides of his face. He leaned into her touch, savouring the sensation but his confusion was visible when her fingers sought their goal and lifted the circlet from his head. She didn’t break his gaze, casually throwing it in the direction of their underwear and she heard it clatter against the ground once before a second, muffled noise signalled that she’d hit her mark. Laying back down, she let her hands fall above her head as her hair tumbled around her; face and chest flushed as the firelight danced on her pale skin.

“Fuck me,” She whined,” Fuck me hard. I need you.”

It took a moment for him to respond, enraptured as he caressed her thighs. But he managed to gather his wits enough to chuckle breathlessly, “With pleasure, my love.” He ran his tongue over the bottom of his lip before coming to hover over her, one hand against her inner thigh while the other was pressed onto the ground to the side of her head; their noses barely touching, “I intend to make good on my promise, make no mistake.”

Fingers snaked upwards and all at once her breath left her as she writhed in wonderful ecstasy. Two fingers had parted her folds, coating themselves in her pleasure before his thumb had joined them, running up to play with her clit. Every slow stroke of his thumb had her shamelessly keening, screaming his name while her fingernails dug into his back. 

“Wanton little thing, aren’t you? You’re _dripping._ ” He caught her lips in a rough kiss, letting fangs nip into the flesh of her lips.

“Ah! T-That feels so good. Don’t stop!”

She saw the first hints of stars when his fingers moved further in and curled, drinking in the harsh, wet, _wonderful_ sounds he made with each thrust. Again and again, he sent her soaring into new heights she thought she could only dream of. She’d known pleasure before, yes. A contractor’s fourth-born son two years ago had taken her maidenhead, hopelessly in love with her but she could not say the same. Both virgins. Both fumbling and awkward. The three times after that had been much the same and in short, woefully disappointing. She’d called it off two weeks later when they had to leave for a job in Morfis.

But it was practically an insult to compare that to the bliss Seteth was giving her now. The way he whispered filthy words onto her skin; those divine fingers which never relented; how she ached with the pleasure-pain of a dozen love-bites and yet, still longed for more. He was experienced. His wife had been one lucky woman. Now she was the fortunate one and oh, she would not take him for granted. She swore it.

In the haze of her thoughts, she let her right hand slip down his back, trailing her nails downwards until they followed the hard-set lines of his stomach and further still. Hair grew unkempt and wild, such a stark contrast from the immaculate hair on his head but she could appreciate it nonetheless. After all, it guided her well and just a graze of her fingers had him hissing into her neck. She let her fingers slide over his cock, taking in his length and heat. 

“A-Aah, Byleth. No. Let me take care of you first.”

It was her turn to shift, angling herself just right until she caught his neck in a series of quick kisses, “But I want you.”

Her fingers curled around his tip, pulling back the foreskin then pulling it over again in long, languid strokes which had him gasping. His own fingers against and inside her had stilled, spasming with each shudder and breathless moan.

He sighed, “What…. What would you have of me?”

“I told you before: Fuck me.”

Not needing to be told twice, he was quick to remove his fingers; both hands snaking back up her thighs to keep a firm grip on her hips as he pulled her flush against him. He settled back onto his knees as he urged her legs around him, one ankle hooked around the other to rest on his ass while her hands clasped around his neck. She could feel him against her, hot and urgent against her thigh but that wonderful feeling came secondary when his lips pressed into hers and his hands dug into her flesh. After a long moment of dancing tongues she felt him shift; hand leaving her briefly to align himself before returning with more pressure than before.

“Please. Tell me if I’m too rough.” He said, so soft and tender in both the way he stared at her and in his voice, so smooth like warm honey that she felt her stillborn heart melt. 

Sweet goddess, she was going to ride this man to oblivion and beyond.

“I will.”

He started slow, pushing her down onto his cock with a controlled ease; barely able to keep himself together enough to watch as her face melted into bliss. Yet even as his face seemed to contort in the wake of his pleasure, his hands did not waver; pushing her down until she engulfed him in his entirety. 

“Goddess,” She breathed, letting her head lull back, “You feel _amazing._ ”

She couldn’t quite place the way she felt. It seemed quite impossible to describe the way he was sheathed inside her; how good it felt to feel him and how much more it was than she had imagined. Whole. Connected. One. The thought of them was enough for her to refocus and draw his lips to her, pulling herself almost completely from him, only to take him again and again. She swallowed his sighs; letting out a pleased hum when his hands helped her rock into him. They stayed like that for a time, content to leisurely fuck.

Eventually, however, he took over and Byleth quickly decided she liked that _very much_ . There was a certain confidence, a forcefulness which manifested in delicious orders. Kiss. Beg. Scream. The gentleness was gone as his inhibitions fell away and she loved it. A new side to him. A darker side: He was brazen, all bites and sinful words. _How does it feel to fuck a dragon? You’re made for me, my dear, it’s like I could fuck you all night long and you’d still be begging for me. You taste so good. Scream for me: I want the world to know your mine_. In control, his pace was brutal as she bounced in his lap; screams captured in kisses that drew blood and dear Goddess, it was all too much. No, it wasn’t enough! It was just right if-

The hand which snaked between them, wet fingers teasing where she needed most, had her piercing the skin of his back with her nails and he roared. Still, he did not relent and she swore that if anything, he grew more frenzied, eaking out every last drop of pleasure from every thrust into her. Every thrust had her screaming his name, babbling praise after praise until she couldn’t even think about anything but him. How he felt so good inside her. How she loved to hear her name on his lips as he growled. How beautiful he looked with his eyes screwed shut in the throws of passion. Even then, her mind slipped further as she felt herself grow hotter; something fraying inside until her skin was burning under a sheen of sweat. She was on the cusp of coming undone, she could feel it. His fingers felt so good- _He_ felt so good. Just a single word and-

“Come for me.”

“Cichol!”

She crashed into the ecstasy and in the aftershock she felt him follow, barely able to pull out before warm liquid squirted over her stomach as he held them close. It was all heavy breathing then, back to gentle pecks and soft caresses. He’d settled his head into the crook of her neck and she had mirrored him, content to listen to the thrum of his heart as it settled back down into an even, steady rhythm.

They stayed like that for a time. No words, just peace and the distant echoes of passion which coursed through their bodies. But eventually they moved, parting only slightly to look at one another. She felt a familiar flush creep up her face as she met his eyes; his hands had begun to thread through her knotted locks, untangling them gently.

“I love you.” He kissed her again, soft enough not to agitate the bloodied nicks which marred her bottom lip, “You don’t need to say it back. But know that I love you. Truly. I do.”

“I love you, too”

“You don’t need-”

“It’s the truth, Cichol. Ever since I first laid eyes on you there has been something which has pulled me towards you. The more I got to know you, the more I fell. I-” She laughed, breathless and bashful, “I have been hopelessly in love with you. I never thought I had a chance- I thought you hated me at first. Then… after Flayn… and then in the flower garden- I’ve never stopped falling for you.”

“I kept secrets.”

“There’s more to love now.”

A tentative smile graced his lips, “I don’t deserve this.”

She returned his smile.

“Oh, but you do.” 


	5. Splash

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, apologies for the lateness of this chapter. I had intended to publish this before the Christmas period but life got in the way. Hope everyone has had a lovely holidays and I wish everyone the best for New Years.
> 
> Once again, thank you to everyone who has commented, given kudos and just generally taken their time to read this fic <3

**Chapter V: Splash  
**

**4 Garland Moon**

“Come, let’s get ourselves cleaned up.”

She was loathe to part from him, barely making an effort to untangle herself and groaning in protest when his fingers in her hair stopped their quest to untangle her many knots. She felt him sigh against her, slow but mirthful; barely bothering to shift his arms into a more comfortable position around her and she had a sneaking suspicion that he didn’t want to move either. She didn’t know how much time had passed in the moments after their lovemaking, but it felt like a blissful eternity in his arms. He was safe and calming; his scent a love-drug which had her well and truly addicted; every deep inhale stealing away her strength until she swore she couldn’t move even if she tried. Her eyes closed when his fingers resumed playing with her hair, practically purring into his neck with delight. It felt good. Very good, in fact. Intimate. Caring.   
  
“Can’t we just stay like this a little longer?”

He laughed softly, “We’ve dallied long enough and besides, my knees are getting rather sore.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

He was quick to kiss her head as they slowly untangled themselves from one another, “Don’t be. Shall we?”

The way he rose, unashamed at how her eyes drifted over his body- thriving on it, in fact, if the smile and playful glean in his eye was any indication, had an all too familiar heat rushing to her face, though she was quick to take the hand he offered her. He led her with a gentle push on the small of her back, tenderly holding onto her hand with his right. 

“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” He was eyeing the red marks on her neck, “I’m sorry. I was too rough-”

“I’m fine, Cichol. I rather like that side of you. Though it’s not something I ever really expected.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. You always seem so proper. So controlled. I never really considered how, um, carnal you could be. I liked it. Very much.”

“You’ve gone red.”

“Yes, well,” She averted her gaze to the pool as they approached, “It’s a rather hard thing to admit, I suppose. I’ve never, um, given my heart to someone before.”

“Then that-“

“No. I’ve had one… partner before. He was disappointing at best and there was only so long the company could stay in one place. Not even worth mentioning in comparison to you.” 

She shook her head as if to shake away the awkward memories which now plagued her: Sweet Goddess, she’d practically sworn off sex after Cedric’s final performance. The poor lad hadn’t known it would be his last and hadn’t even gotten to finish, but even so, it was dismal from the start. No foreplay and cringeworthy dirty-talk that had killed the mood so well, she’d managed to get bored. There was only so many times you could say the word ‘cock’. Or ‘pussy’. Or moan like a demented donkey about how good it felt. Goddess she hated that sound. 

“I am honoured.”

As they came to the water’s edge, Seteth’s hand slipped from her back. She watched him move in front of her, kissing the knuckles of her captured hand and slowing stepping into the water. He shivered, goosebumps prickling his skin in the seconds which followed, but there was no sign of discomfort on his face which seemed solely focussed on staring at her. He tugged on her hand slightly, beckoning her to join him as he took another step back but she shook her head, eyeing the way his body quaked with every fresh inch of skin delving into the icy pool.

“It’s warmer than you might think.”

“Somehow I don’t believe you.”

“Byleth.”

“Cichol.”

He tugged on her hand again, harder this time. Hard enough to be caught off-guard by his strength and Byleth yelped as she fell forwards, splashing into the water as she tried to step into the fall but failing. He was quick to wrap his arms around her, chuckling into her neck at her urgent gasp for air despite only being waist-deep in water.

“Shit! Fuck- Cichol!”

“I’m sorry.”

“You’re not!”

“I am.”

“Then why are you laughing?!”

She tried to protest more as he moved further into the water, wriggling in his arms to avail but was soon silenced with the press of his lips against hers. She sighed into the kiss, snaking her arms around his neck to bring her closer to him.

Seteth’s skin was like fresh fire; a warm and comforting distraction from the water which burned her to the bone. Yet feeling of her perking nipples against his prickling skin was delicious, encouraging her to open her mouth for him as his tongue glided over hers. He shifted, pulling her up to his height by her ass and oh how she loved the warmth of his fingers there, clutching toned flesh with a fresh wave of urgency.

“See? It’s warmer than you might expect.”

“It’s freezing cold.” She drew her right hand from his neck, tracing it upwards and along his jaw; through the coarse hair of his beard until she let her fingers curl into the locks at his chin and pulled them gently, “How can you stand it?”

“It’s not that bad.”

“It’s freezing, Cichol. You’re going to have to be the one to warm me up later, if you insist on us staying here.”

“You make it sound like that’s a bad thing.” The chaste kiss he pressed into her lips soon turned sinister as his lips trailed downwards. A few spots on the right side of her neck had been woefully missed and Seteth now took the opportunity to rectify his oversight, “If you’re that cold, I’ll just have to try and warm you up.”

As expected, the moment his teeth ran over her skin she had elicited a most sinful moan. Her hands began to roam as he coaxed her legs around him, locking behind him and keeping her flush against his chest. He was softer this time, more tender as one of his hands came to massage her back and the rest of her body; on his lips, breath dancing against her ear just so, his words were gentle love songs. A thousand years of loneliness and of mourning; the terror of an eternity alone, never again to love as he had loved before… She was his deliverance. Goddess born, goddess sent. A woman who he believed he did not deserve, now his and he promised that he would never let her go. She was family. Their family. His family. 

“You are amazing.”

“Hardly.”

So modest… He couldn’t help but laugh, low and loving. There was little he could say that would convince her otherwise- he knew too well how easy she brushed aside praise, always perfecting and never satisfied. A thousand compliments were lost in the wake of a single critique and as much as it had been frustrating when he had begun to pursue her in earnest, it was nevertheless a quality he could admire.  
Yet, he supposed, there were other ways of expressing his admiration, his love. A kiss here. A caress there. He stilled his lips against her neck, releasing flesh to pepper kisses instead of the harsh, harding bites he had done before. His hands stroked the sides of her waist, burning with the chill of the water but that was of little importance when he could feel her relax against him, head lolled back as her eyes drifted shut. Shoulder-deep into the water, he watched the thick tendrils of her hair drift about in the waves their bodies created, ghosting over skin, veiling and unveiling flesh. It was mesmerising, watching it shine in the moonlight slivers scattered from the waterfall. 

“Hmm, I thought you wanted to get cleaned up?” She cracked an eye open, staring at him with the barest hint of a smirk on her lips.

“I can stop if you want.”

“Don’t you dare.”

“Then don’t compl- Hmmph!” 

She pounced, kissing him with an insistence that had him struggling to stay on his feet. In her pull towards him, his footing slipped and both gasped as they fell back. The rush of the water around them as they delved into the dark was less frightening than it had been before, now locked in a lover’s embrace where both had the good sense to take a breath before the plunge. 

There were moments in her life where time seemed to just stand still, frozen and silent as if the world itself was taking a moment to hold its breath and bare witness. The first time she had seen death on the battlefield had been one. The murder of her father had been another, though she had done her best to reverse it- a thousand tries in vain. 

But this moment… In the slow fall deep into the water which burned but soothed at the same time… The way his hair haloed around him and how the moonlight which broke through the dark of the pool shone on his face, illuminating his wonderfully inhuman eyes; projecting patterns over his prickled skin and how his claws curled, reaching out to draw her closer after the plunge wrenched them apart… If it had been the quill which had graced her hand and not the sword, she could have written a thousand odes joyously fawning over the subtlety of his features; the way in such a moment of his surprise that he looked almost peaceful, eyes wide yet expressionless.

Yet the moment passed and he moved, catching his hand on smooth rock and sand below him and pushing away. The momentum allowed them to right themselves and soon they were gasping for air above the surface, treading water with naught between them. Her face burned, blossoming into a reddish pink as she panted.

“Sh- Shit, that’s cold!” She stuttered, “Are we- Can we get back to the fire now? I’m freezing!”

“Agreed.”  


* * *

  
When what little light of morning broke through with the cascading waters, they were clothed, dried and rested. Sleep hadn’t been easy but it was more comfortable in the arms of a lover than it was sleeping on the cold stone alone. She liked waking up in his arms. It was nice. Comforting. It made the memories of their night before more real, though there was plenty of evidence left behind of their passion. Evidence which made her neck ache uncomfortably if she turned her head too quickly to the side, though some of that pain she blamed on Seteth’s arm which she used as a pillow.

She rolled her neck around as she stoked the fire, rifling through their ration supplies with one hand as the other prodded the embers back to life with a stick. They were meagre rations, nothing more than hardtack biscuits, dried meat and fruits and small jars of crystallised honey. Enough to keep someone going for a few extra days until they could find help, but it wasn’t the type of thing one could get any joy from. No matter. With fish in the pool, they had a steady supply of food which could keep them well fed and the trees would ensure they would not be without fuel for the fire too. Given his clawed state, Seteth had agreed to be the one to fish, able to jab at the carp when they came too close to the surface of the pool. It had been a fairly successful method and after an hour or so, his labour paid off with two fat fish for them both. She had to admit, she was somewhat jealous: claws were surprisingly useful and her dear Cichol made quick work gutting and descaling the fish.

“We should try and get in some more rest after breakfast.” Seteth said as he skewered the fish with sticks before putting them on the fire to cook, “Neither of us got enough sleep last night.”

“Would it be childish of me to blame that on you?” She teased, closing up the boxes of rations and looking at him in the corner of her eye.

“Yes, extremely childish.”

The hardness to his voice was just an act as a blush worked his way up to his face. Whatever fires which inspired such confidence from the man were now beginning to quell in the quake of their union. He was acting more of his previous self, less certain and easily flustered. Byleth hoped she could inspire him to keep his confidence. Or at least, reawaken the dragonfire at her whim. He was adorable as he was now, but she would hate to see the beast from yesterday disappear completely.

“Well in that case, I forgive you.”

“Wh-? F-Forgive me for what, my dear?” He blustered, looking at her with a frown.

“For your snoring in my ear, of course!”

“I do not snore!”

“Hmmm no, you’re right. I wouldn’t call it snoring… It was more like growling.”

“Byleth!”

She giggled, a genuine smile on her face as she rounded the campfire to hug him from behind. He grumbled something, too quiet to be heard but she didn’t care, simply breathing in his wonderful scent and relishing the feeling of him in her arms. He relaxed after awkwardly shifting forward to the fish now cooking on the fire, rubbing one of her arms with a rough palm as the other reached behind him to play with her hair. 

“The fish should be done soon, my dear.”

“Hmm… What will happen to us once we leave this place, I wonder?”

“Whatever do you mean?”

“Will we need to tell Flayn about us?”

“Ah.” Turning around in her embrace, he drew her into his lap and lifted her chin to hold her gaze in his own, “I meant what I said, Byleth. You have my heart; you have my everything. To that end, I will wish to Cethleann about us but… Aside from that, may we keep this as much to ourselves as we can, for now? We’ve both duties to attend to and I am loathe to be the subject of needless gossip. I will not lie should anyone ask about my involvement with you. Indeed, I would sooner tear out my own tongue than lie about how much I love you. But… I do not want my reputation at the monastery to affect how others see your success. I would have them see you for who I know you to be: the capable, young professor that you are and not as simply someone who bedded the Archbishop’s Second-in-Command.” 

“I understand. But if we are to keep this a secret… How do you suppose we see each other?”

“If we continue like we were before, I am satisfied that no one will really notice when you stay late for a… meeting or if I visit your quarters later than what might be entirely appropriate. Many within the monastery think we have formed a friendship of sorts, or so I hear from Cethleann. So long as any -ahem- bodily markings are kept out of sight, nothing will be amiss.”

“That might be difficult. I like it when you bite.”

Her own reddening face was worth it to see him flustered, eyes widening and how agape. His body was less confused by the admission, however, and she not-so-subtly pounced on the opportunity by shifting in his lap, thigh grazing against him. While his hands whipped to her hips with urgency, intent on no doubt pulling her away before she could rouse him further, she let her lips press into open mouthed kisses down his neck. The result was an instantaneous relaxation as an unbidden sound escaped him and she felt the reverb between her teeth. 

“But I suppose… so long as it’s something we can cover up… I can be the one to mark you instead. Would you like that, Cichol?”  
His breath left him as she took the soft skin of the bob of his throat, rolling it between her teeth with just enough bite that had the heat awaken him once more. She was playing a dangerous game. He could get used to something like this and dear Goddess if she could excite him with little more than a nip and a kiss-? He dreaded to think what kind of mindless pleasure they could lose themselves in. Doubtless, he’d want to leave no patch of skin unmarked, unclaimed. There’d be no hope for keeping such a secret then. He’d let her mark him too, though he was prone to revealing less fresh than she cared too. But the possibility that they could explore her dark desires and to what extent was she like him, like the dragons of old, was terribly, wonderfully intoxicating. Was she more divine? Her mouth was certainly heaven-sent and- oh, the way her kisses trailed down his neck and how she clawed as his chest! He was losing his wits already.

“Byleth… The fish- we can’t…”

“Screw the fish. Let me taste you.”

“It would be such a waste if- Hmmph!”

She didn’t know what had overcome her, but his reluctance to comply brought about something dark and deadly inside her and she growled, shoving him to the ground in a fierce kiss with more force than she knew she could muster. He bucked under her and she settled herself over his hips as her loose curls veiled the world around them in a sea of mint green.

“I want to taste you, Cichol. Will you let me?”

“Byleth, I-”

“Please? I need this.”

He sighed, closing his eyes before resting a hand to her neck, “Whatever you want, whatever you need, please, take from me. It’s yours.”

And so she descended upon him with more urgency than before and he seemed to give in after that, letting their tongues dance against each other once more as their kisses deepened and their clothing was quickly discarded. But even if she could not stand to tease him as he had done to her, far too gone as she was in the heat of the moment, she was intent on making it last. 

With a wicked grin she slid down his body, lips following the trail of hair on his torso downwards; gracing his skin with the occasional suck and pull until he was starting to match her in a patchwork of bruises. Each pull of her teeth gave rise to a moan which erupted from his throat and ended in ragged breathing, begging for more. She was quickly finding it hard to worry such corded muscle that was now straining in his pleasure, but such a reaction was worth the effort and she could feel the haze of her own passion consuming her. It didn’t help that he was forcing himself to remain still, barely moving except propping himself up with one arm to watch her. Yet her intentions became clear when her head descended past his navel and Seteth greedily fisted his hand into her hair as her tongue traced his length from base to tip, savouring the inhuman noise he made. 

“Hmm, eager, aren’t we?”

“I- you- Vixen.”

“I’m sorry,” She made a show of drawing the flat of her tongue along his length again, watching as he seemed to crumple before her, “what did you just say?”

“Temptress.”

His claws were coming dangerously close to scraping her scalp as he tried to pull her back, but his resolve broke and his grip released with an almighty growl when took him in her mouth fully. She let him adjust, savouring the wicked sensations of wet friction and a tongue which continued to writhe along him. When she broke for air, he gasped in unison but there was little time to think before she descended upon him again and again until he could barely control himself anymore. 

“Byleth you don’t- ah!- please, let me pleasure you, too.”

“You’ll get your chance, my dear. But for now I want to make you see stars.” She raked her nails along his thighs, leaving loving red lines upwards before working him with her hands in languid strokes. 

“Wh-Why are you…” He hissed as her lips kissed the side of his shaft, eyes closed and humming softly to herself, “Why?”

When she opened her eyes, he saw the desire reflected in the darkening verdant pools which were practically mimicking his own, wide and wanting. She didn’t stop her ministrations, worshiping his cock with such reverency it felt blasphemous as it pressed against her cheek and coated her skin in a mix of his own seed and her saliva. The way she held him to her, that deep inhale as she drew in his scent and tasted him as if he was the sweetest nectar, it was almost too much. 

“Can I not thank the cock which made me scream last night? It would be a pity to neglect him after such a wonderful performance…” 

When her mouth descended upon him again, Seteth really did see stars. She seemed to be both equal parts reverent and defiling in her endeavour, making him cry out with ecstasy when it all became too much and he felt himself burn.

“My love, I- I’m going to-”

He tried to pull her back, but it seemed she was intent on tasting him all, steadfast in her pursuit as she quickened her pace and set one hand from his shaft to gently caress other, more sensitive areas. Such wonderful friction, the clawing on her hand over his thigh and the reverberation of her mouth as she hummed in her pleasure at his own, it was his undoing and with a final gasp he released his seed, barely registering Byleth’s mouth as she drank him in. He fell back, content to let her finish cleaning his spent cock until not a drop remained, whereupon she crawled into his arms and he pressed his face into the crook of her neck. He could smell the burning of the fish now that his senses were less occupied and he sighed.

“Thank you, Byleth but.. the fish.”

She laughed.


	6. Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy (very belated) New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful holidays and once again, a big thank you to those who have given kudos/commented/bookmarked etc. <3 Your support gives me life.
> 
> This isn't my best chapter, I'm not going to lie. Once I feel as if I've grown as a writer, I may come back to revise the chapter but until such a time, I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. It is technically the end of the story, but not to worry, I still have one last chapter left and it will be 100% sin.

For all his talk about not leaving evidence of their trysts, Seteth had been rather intent on keeping her body peppered with possessive markings. Between the meals, the sleeping, the fishing and the sparring, there had been little else to fill their time other than exploring their profound and addictive interest in one another. And addictive it was: Byleth found she could scarcely keep herself off her lover, even if it were to just drink in his scent and warmth. Seteth seemed to be better at controlling himself, though he indulged her desires on every occasion. She wondered if such emotions were tied to the Progenitor Goddess- that this was some variation of a draconic heat which Seteth had since told her about. 

A  _ warning _ , if she remembered correctly, though such a thing was hard to do when she was currently being rutted from behind by her dear dragon. He had said something about a mating heat which overtook their kind every so often once they took a lover. It wove deep into the bones of an individual and would burn them with a maddening desire until they conceived a child or the season passed. Sometimes conception could take weeks or even months of passion and drove individuals nearly mad. Other times, fate smiled upon them and they conceived early. It was something to be feared and excited for, she was certain. Though, he had spoken to her about it like it was gravest of subjects. No doubt he was worried for her. She wasn’t sure she was ready for children just yet.

She sighed as Seteth drove deep, finding that sweetest of spots. She was going to miss this cave. Claude had sent a wisp messenger an hour ago claiming that they would attempt a rescue this afternoon. If all went well, they would be out in the fresh air by nightfall. It should have made her happy to be free of such a place, but the privacy the cave afforded them was something they could not afford elsewhere. She wondered how feasible it would be to fuck when either next door slept his daughter or Manuela. Her student accommodations would have been better- the walls were thicker there- and she dreaded the conversation her colleague would have with her if she ever found out.

Another time to think about such things, she supposed. Especially when she would need to savour this last climax as a familiar heat built inside of her. When she cried out his name, he was quick to follow her into that mindless oblivion, spilling his seed onto the stone beneath them. Goddess, she really was going to miss this cave.

“Are you okay, my love? You seem distracted.” Seteth spoke, planting a tender kiss between her bare shoulder blades.

“I’m okay, don’t worry. I was just thinking how, in some strange way, I am going to miss being here. It has been nice to just exist here with you.”

“I feel the same. It has been liberating. No obligations. No students. My mind has even been free of worry for Flayn, though, now that I bring her up I find myself eager to see her again. She must have been so worried…” 

She rose to kiss the steadily forming crease of his brow.

“She has been well looked after and knows you are in good health. Now that you’re looking human again, I doubt she’ll ever suspect that you suffered an injury.”

The last of his inhuman features had disappeared yesterday, with only the pointed tips of his ears once again being the only indication of who and what he truly was. Even those eyes of his had returned back to normal and Byleth had quickly decided that she missed their look. In truth, now that she had time to adjust and understand, she much preferred it when his human mask slipped. He seemed happier without having to hide, though she was sure their lovemaking was a large part of that happiness.

“I suppose we should prepare for their arrival. Though… ah. I’ve- you’ve… You have a mark on your neck.”

She had many all over her body, she could feel their pleasurable ache each time she moved. But yes, there was a particularly sensitive spot on the right side of her neck.

“I’ll wear my hair around it, it’s fine, Seteth. No one will know and if they see, I’ll just say that it’s a bruise from falling. They can’t prove otherwise.”

“I - If you’re sure... Come. Let’s try and make ourselves presentable before our rescue.”

* * *

The first attempt came shortly after they finished putting out their campfire and burying the makeshift privy that was in the farthest side of the cave. Their arrival was heralded by sudden darkness as two wyverns blocked the slivers of light which hailed from the hole above, accompanied by the familiar sound of wings beating against the air in a great flurry. 

“Hey there, Professors! Need a ride?” 

Claude’s wyvern was the first to descend to the ground, giving a groan as the boy jumped from his back and helped Flayn from the saddle.

“Brother!”

Flayn’s eyes welled with tears as she barrelled into Seteth, wrapping her slender arms around his torso and burying her face into his shirt. Seteth was quick to reciprocate, breathing in her familiar scent as the worried lines of his face relaxed for the first time that morning. If not for the progenitor god’s hearing, Byleth would never had heard the soft, choked sobs which wracked the young girl as she held her father close or the way Seteth cooed into her hair, gently running a hand over the top of her head in long, comforting strokes.

Byleth moved to help Claude prepare the wyverns, following his lead as they gave the two some well-deserved privacy. She took her time to look at her prized student; studying the dark circles under his eyes and the way he seemed less upbeat than his usual self. Those green eyes of his were duller, almost weary, and he could not hide the shaking of his fingers nor the fact that his face seemed thinner than usual; his shirt was baggier than she remembered, with small red stains around several tears on his back and side.

“What happened?” 

The question seemed to startle him, which was worrying to say the least, but he soon recovered, flashing her his best and falsest smile, “Don’t worry about me, Teach. Let's just get you out of here.”

Guilt pooled at the pit of her stomach, burbling as she swallowed thickly. Had they really been that worried about them? It never occurred to her that they would worry themselves sick over their welfare- though evidently, that was what Claude had done- and just how had he managed to injure himself? Bandits? Had whatever that caused them to fall into the cavern escaped and harmed them somehow? She sighed through her nose.  _ Had _ something happened to them topside? Something that neither he nor Flayn nor the others wanted to convey over a message? Claude was strong- a self proclaimed master tactician; one who never flinched at danger or the unexpected. He had handled monsters and bandits before. So it had to be something worse.

“What happened, Claude?” 

She caught the sudden stillness of his fingers as he paused in his efforts to tie their backpacks to the saddle of his Wyvern.

“Nothing’s happened, why do you ask?”

“You look ill, you're hurt and you're lying to me, Claude. I won't ask again.”

Perhaps it was unfair to use such a commanding tone. But he was starting to worry her now. If any of her fawns had been hurt while she had been-… Sothis, she didn't know what she’d do. 

“We… Had a few mishaps. Nothing major- no one died, don't worry- but Flayn has been worried sick about you and Seteth, and Ferdinand and Hilda might have gotten hurt when some bandits tried to raid our camp the other night. Urgh,” He ran a hand over his face, “I thought I had things under control but the attack threw things way off balance. It doesn't help that we still don't know what creature caused that cave in the other day and the thought that it could show its ugly face here any moment... Honestly? I probably look worse than what I am but I'll be golden as soon as we're out of this place.”

“I appreciate your honesty, Claude. Thank you for letting me know- Ferdinand and Hilda weren't hurt too badly, were they?” 

She placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently as his shoulders lost some of their tension and he resumed his work on the saddle. After a few moments of watching him work, she gave him some mercy and set to work helping tie the other backpack to the other side of the saddle.

“No. A few bruises here and there and Ferdie’s going to scar on his shoulder from the fire spell that hit him, but they're okay.”

“Hmmm, what about you? You look like you took a few hits, too.”

He genuinely laughed at that, “I'm all good, Teach. One of their archers almost got me a couple of times but it was nothing I couldn't handle.”

“Good. I'd hate to lose my favourite student.”

“Awwww. I'm flattered.” He placed a hand to his heart, “I'll remember that next time you give me an ‘F’ on my test.”

“I failed you because the assignment was to write about how Reigan lead his forces to victory in the Liberation of Taverna, NOT critiquing everything he did wrong.”

“Hey I answered the question! That was better than Hidla who turned in nothing.”

“I suppose…” A small smile graced her lips, stern facade cracking as her student laughed heartily, “Anyway, I think we’ve given Seteth and Flayn enough time. Let's get out of this place.”

Claude turned back to where Seteth and Flayn were now walking towards them, both still misty-eyed and both with quiet yet content smiles, “Professor, Flayn, are you two ready to head out?”

“Yes, though how do you intend-”

_ SCREEEECH! _

Byleth felt the colour drain from her face as the ground shook beneath her and she desperately covered her ears to escape the horrible, bloodcurdling roar which resonated through the cavern. The wyverns roared back, agitated but not yet bolting as they swayed their heads from side to side. 

_ SCREEEEEECH! _

A second tremor followed, one which sent all to the ground as loose rock fell into the pool from above. 

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit! 

She had a bad feeling about this. A horrible, wretched feeling which bottomed in the pit of her stomach and festered as a familiar cold sweat crept up the back of her neck and a third and final tremor heralded a deep bellowing from above like rapturous trumpets. 

“I think we got company!” Claude said, pulling the reins of the wyverns so that they were further away from the water’s edge, “It’s coming from above us.”

“Whatever it is, be ready. It knows we're here.” 

Unsheathing her sword, Byleth steeled herself as she watched something huge and black fall into the pool from above; a tidal wave crashing over the shore and spraying them with water. Fish had been thrown everywhere in the wake of the splash, flip-flopping about helplessly as something rose from the pool from behind the waterfall. She could just about make out the serpentine body which rose in coils, higher and higher until it's head began to poke through the veil of water to reveal a deadly set of yellowed teeth and purple eyes which focussed squarely on them. It growled, rearing upwards and swaying slightly as it did so, their only indication of an impending attack, before it lunged forwards at a breakneck speed.

Seteth had already saddled himself on the other wyvern Claude and Flayn had brought with them; while the two students used their wyvern to escape the first attack, he grabbed Byleth by the collar, pulling her out of the way as the beast crashed forwards into the stone where they had stood only seconds ago. It took only a moment for it to recover and whip around to where she and Seteth now were, rearing again before diving forwards with its mouth open wide. Again, they were able to just barely escape its jaws and frustrated, the beast aimed its tail to attempt to whack the other wyvern out of the air. 

She knew this beast: A black leviathan. They were deadly foes, though not as dangerous as their grey-eyed cousins, and highly territorial. Yet why was it agitated now? It wasn't as if she and Seteth had been quiet with their exploits- in fact, she was certain she alone had been louder than a wyvern roar in the deepest throes of her passion. Was it the wyverns themselves which agitated the monster? Was there some sort of scent they produced which alerted it to their presence? It didn't matter. What was important was getting out alive- something which was impossible until the beast was slain.

Lunging forwards while it was distracted, Byleth drew her sword down onto the soft underbelly of an exposed coil. The beast screamed and writhed in agony as blood spurted from the wound, thick and warm as it sprayed over her sword arm. She bit back the rising bile of her throat and ducked under the swing of its body, yet she did not see the swerve of its tail which came from behind to hit her square in the back. Pushed to the ground, she gasped for breath as the beast crushed her, distantly aware of Seteth calling her name. There came a ringing in her ears as she watched Claude hail arrows from their wyvern and Flayn sending blades of wind into the head of the beast, whose attention now turned to them. Yet before it could dive for them, she felt more warm liquid spew over her and the pressure on her back release; Seteth was pulling her through the warmth and as she came from the river of red, she saw his bloodied axe and the fresh wound which cascaded blood. The beast screamed, frenzied as an arrow lodged in its eye and rolling over, it made for the pool. 

“We need to put this thing down! Don't let it escape!” Seteth yelled, grabbing Byleth by the waist to haul her in front of him on his wyvern as Claude and Flayn nodded, diving towards the retreating creature, “If I get you close, do you think you can get on its head? It's scales are softer underneath, correct?”

She nodded, “I’ll see what I can do. Just keep it distracted.”

“Deal.”

What came next was nothing short of a miracle as Byleth was all but thrown by Seteth onto the beast below, digging her sword into its back in the plunge and holding on for dear life. When Seteth and the others proved a greater distraction, she set to work removing her sword and climbing up the grizzled scales. Each jerk and great movement made it harder to ascend, nails scrambling to find purchase over the shallow nooks between its scales or on the warty nodules which ran down its spine. The prospect of being thrown from such a height as the beast reared once more was less frightening than the way it delved down into the water and barely gave Byleth enough time to gasp for air when it shot from the pool, only to descend into its black depths once more. Yet with each plunge, the beast grew weaker and slower, tiring until it rose from the pool and did not dive again. With such an opportunity at hand, Byleth made a final push towards its head, lungs burning and fingers numb.

“Hey, Teach. Do you think you can hurry it up? I'm ruining out of arrows.”

“Brother, to your left!”

“Seteth!”

She winced as she saw Seteth and his wyvern take a blow to the side, the tail of the beast hitting them with a vengeance when Seteth had driven his axe into the creature’s side. His wyvern groaned, dropping to the ground before shaking its head and ascending back up with an angered roar. The blood which now covered her dear Cichol’s shirt was his own, a wound on his forehead steadily weeping and several gashes covered his forearms. His countenance darkened into a cold fury, and with a roar more similar to his wyvern’s, he made to strike the leviathan as his wyvern barrel-rolled in the air to escape an incoming coil.

Seizing the opportunity, Byleth swung herself from one of the horn-like nodules which sat at the base of its head, bringing her sword down into its soft flesh in a cleaving arc, cutting from the neck downwards. As expected, a torrent of blood followed in her wake and with one final, agonising scream the beast fell silent and crashed into the pool, coils growing limp.

Byleth herself fell hard into the water, her vision blurred by the blood which darkened everything into a red obscurity and she felt the lifeless body of the creature fall around her, sending powerful waves which twisted and turned her around until she was no longer sure which way was up or down and her lungs burned for air desperately. She felt herself panic, pushing towards what she thought was the surface until she realised that she had been swimming further into the pool and she stilled. Her eyes were starting to hurt and felt the edges of her vision blacken, the shadows creeping in until something was grabbing ahold of her from the side. She struggled at first, unsure of what it was until she realised that it was a hand pulling her upwards and she gave in, letting it drag her up to the surface. She gasped as soon as the red water broke over her face, blinking rapidly to see the blurred image of Seteth holding her steady and treading water. 

“Is it- Is it dead?” She gasped.

“I think so, yes.”

Good. She felt relief wash over her as she let her breathing steady out. After a few moments of respite, they were able to gather enough strength to swim back to the shore where Claude, Flayn and the wyverns now waited. 

“Well, we’ve had a cave in, bandits attacking us and now this monster. I think it's safe to say that nothing else can go wrong.” 

Despite everything, Byleth smiled and chuckled, freeing herself from Seteth’s support so that Flayn could fuss over him, “For once I think you're right, Claude. Let's get out of here.”

  
  


* * *

A starless night greeted them as they touched down on the grassy plains just outside the cave; a warm breeze blowing past and Byleth relished in the quiet of it all. The rushing of the waterfall had become a constant in the cave, so much so that such silence where only the gentle rustling of the trees could be heard was almost bringing her to tears in complete serenity. She sighed, somewhat glad to see something other than stone and darkness as the moonlight cast its ethereal glow over the nearby forest, edging the green -  _ green! _ \- leaves with silver. 

Yet the silence was soon broken by hurried footfalls which grew steadily closer, eventually giving form when several familiar faces came out from the forest’s gloom. In a chorus of voices, Raphael, Caspar and Hilda barrelled into Byleth, nearly knocking her over in the process.

“You're alive!”

“How did you survive down there without any food, Professor?”

“We heard something scary, so we came to help- are you guys okay?” 

“Yeah, you guys look pretty beat up, did something happen down there?”

Byleth chuckled at the affection but frowned upon seeing Hilda, “Hilda, Claude told me you were injured. You should be back at your camp resting.”

The girl in question sighed, twirling a piece of pink hair around her fingers as she noticeably favoured one foot over the other, wincing slightly whenever she put weight on it, “I'm okay, Professor, really. Normally I'd totally give myself all the time in the world to rest but I just couldn't help myself when I saw you guys in the sky!”

“Lorenz is bothering you again, isn't he?”

At Claude’s accusation, Caspar laughed, “Yeah, he’s been pestering Hilda all day, lecturing her about ‘noble responsibilities’. I think he thinks Hilda has been faking her injuries to get out of cooking duty.”

“I swear, I'm not actually faking this time but he just won't let it go! If I hear one more stupid comment, I swear he’ll be the one in stitches next! I- ow!” Hilda gingerly rubbed the ankle of the foot she just stomped on, “See! Totally not faking it!”

Some things never changed, it seemed.

Sighing, Byleth shook her head, “Raphael, take Hilda back to camp and make sure she rests her ankle properly. Caspar, can I trust you to run ahead and let everyone know that we’re safe?”

“Got it, Professor!” 

“Right!”

When the three disappeared back into the tree line, she turned to face Claude and Flayn, “I want to thank you for your help back there. You were very brave, both of you. Without your help, I doubt we'd have made it out alive today.”

“No worries, Teach. We fawns have to look out for our professors, after all.”

* * *

  
  
  


Things seemed to descend into a normal sort of chaos after that as they headed back to their camp. Those who had not been present for the rescue were found helping to cook a group meal over the firepit the students had made. Byleth recognised the cooking equipment as the same she and Seteth had brought along with them, along with some of the more exotic ingredients included in the large iron pot. 

“I see they helped themselves to our supplies,” Seteth remarked, sitting down next to Byleth by the fire and watching their students argue over dinner. He huffed, “I know we agreed to let them have it but I do hope they have been using the spices sparingly- those ingredients did not come cheap.”

“They’ve done well for themselves.” She smiled and stared at him through the corner of her eye. Dropping her voice low, she leaned towards him slightly so that only he could hear her, “Surely you don’t begrudge them too much, my love.”

“I-... No, of course not, my dear.” He cleared his throat, daring to look her in the eyes for the briefest of moments before his gaze returned to the students, “... It will be… difficult, to maintain decorum around you if you insist on so brazenly using such pet names. Perhaps we-”

“Says the man who so  _ brazenly _ flirted with me in front of my students.”

“Wha- I have never-!”

“No? Then what about all the double entendres during our tea parties? You seemed quite intent on making sure your every word had a hidden meaning. I couldn’t quite tell if you knew what you were saying. I suppose I know now… But in all honesty… So long as no one else hears, are you still averse to such names?”

“No.” He dropped his voice to little more than a whisper, “So long as no one hears, my love, I suppose there is no harm in it.”

If there had been no students before them, if had just been them two under the stars and before the fire, Byleth was sure they would’ve drowned in each other’s kisses until the world fell away into nothing. She felt the urge as her lips felt bare without his pressed against them; she felt the chill in her body as though only the heat from his body could warm her. Sitting so close, it was more torturous to behave now than it had been before- now when she knew what lay beneath those robes and how his lips tasted and the delightful growls he made when she touched him just so. Even if all she wanted in such a moment was a simple kiss and to feel his arms around her. She shivered. She had not considered how hard it would be- Goddess, especially when his eyes were twinkling and-

“Dinner is served!” Hilda called out and the camp cheered back, flocking to where Mercedes and Lysithea were serving up the stew from the bubbling pot.

She dared not speak when he patted her leg and stood up, back towards the fire and extended his hand out for her. Not when the firelight haloed behind him and he looked every part of the heavenly saint Cichol: The shadows from the fire danced over his shoulders and he seemed larger, more imposing; his eyes shining like that of a cats and yet the gentle smile he wore, just for her; the quiet smile and slight upturn of his eyes, barely visible in the dim light… Her heart danced, even before she took his hand. Sothis preserve her.

He was definitely,  _ definitely _ going to be the death of her.


End file.
